The award ceremony took place at the Aero Expo show in Friedrichshafen, home to Europe’s largest airshow.

“It’s great to get recognition for the work that Airbox has done in Europe” said William, “And, despite challenging market conditions, Airbox has seen siginificant growth in Europe during the last 12 months; Something we hope to continue through innovation, value and excellent customer service.”

Airbox is situated in Hall A5 on Stand 217 where we’ll also be setting up a Download Centre for new software, airspace and chart updates.

The event will be held at the Royal Geographical Society and features presentations and Q&A sessions offering pilots the chance to get the latest information from the CAA, NATS and MoD on:

• How to use Atlas Control, the air traffic control unit that will provide the service in the Restricted Zone, R112

• The options available for flight planning to get access to the Restricted Zone, R112

• How airfields can apply for and use exemptions

• The interception procedures planned to be used by MoD aircraft

As well as the Olympic presentations there will also be a workshop on navigation techniques with Mark Batin, a RIN Fellow and former RAF Navigator and Qualified Helicopter Navigation Instructor. It will focus on VFR navigation, staying on track and integrating satellite based systems with traditional navigation methods.

The event opens at 10.00 with presentations from 11:15 to 17:45.

As well as the briefings it is also hoped to have relevant trade stands and an opportunity for pilots to be able to buy the new March 2012 UK 1:500 000 chart for southern England, which will come with a second free chart showing the Olympic airspace.

The venue has a maximum capacity of 750. Pre-registration is required and places will be provided on a first come first served basis. To register, e-mail your full name and any affiliation (e.g. flying club) to olympics@rin.org.uk. All bookings will be confirmed.

Check out Airbox’s soon-to-be-launched Ipad app or buy yourself an Aware GPS while you’re there!

The supplements are the legal notification of the temporary controlled airspace, airport slot controls and the implementation of the Atlas Control air traffic service to be provided in the Restricted Zone of the security airspace surrounding London and the main venues.

The temporary changes to controlled airspace in areas to the South West, South East and North East of the busy London Terminal Control Area will be in place from 16 July to 15 August 2012 and will help ensure the safety of the additional air traffic movements expected during the Olympic period.

Some of this controlled airspace will be put in place in low levels of what is currently Class G airspace. Pilots operating in this area during the Olympics period therefore need to be aware of these changes.

The slot restrictions for Instrument Flight Rules flights arriving and departing at many of the airports in the south east of England are designed to ensure the UK’s controlled airspace and airways system do not become overloaded during the Games from the potential large increase in business and corporate aircraft movements.

Atlas Control will be the Ministry of Defence operated air traffic control service for the Restricted Zone that forms part of the security restrictions being put in place by the Government during the Olympics. This extensive operation will aim to provide a service to as many aircraft as possible while maintaining the Government’s security requirements.

All the AIP supplements are available on the NATS Aeronautical Information Services website at AIS Website The Olympics supplements are numbers three, four, five and six.

As well as the AIP supplements further information on the airspace changes being put in place for the Olympics is available at www.airspacesafety.com/olympics. This information will be continually updated as the Games approach, including the addition of a full airspace guide to flying in the UK during the Olympics. Future plans also include a direct mailshot to all current PPL and NPPL licence holders of this year’s CAA Clued Up safety magazine featuring Olympics airspace information.

More information here

Latest editions.

Nice to see Jez from Team Yakovlevs yesterday at their Henstridge head quarters to discuss new software and hardware developments for the year.

The four ship display schedule for 2012 is being prepared with some exciting pan-European events to be announced.

More info on the team here or follow them on Twitter @TeamYakovlevs

Awarded to Airbox and NATS for contributions to air safety. And now the trophy has finally turned up at Airbox HQ!

2012 Olympic airspace restrictions shown around the London area

Most people in UK aviation will be aware of the forthcoming Olympic Games and the airspace restrictions being imposed across large areas of the UK as a security measure. The major restrictions will be centered on London and the Olympic Park and will run from 14 July 2012 to 15 August 2012.

A smaller set of airspace restrictions will then be put in place for the London 2012 Paralympic Games from 16 August 2012 to 12 September 2012.

All are implemented by the Government through its paramount objective to deliver a safe and secure Games. Airspace restrictions around other Games venues will only be in place for the duration of the event at each venue, in line with those used for major sporting events.

Don’t worry however: All Airbox customers including Aware, Clarity and Foresight users will automatically be able to download the 2012 Olympic airspace restrictions to their devices ensuring they’ll have advance warnings of any potential infringement.

Those wishing to display the special CAA Olympic 1:500,000 scale charts as well as the airspace will have to either:

• Purchase or have purchased a 1:500,000 chart subscription covering the period of the Olympic restrictions
• Purchase or have purchased a CAA Edition 38 South of England chart which includes a FREE Olympic chart update
• Purchase or have purchased an Airbox GPS from January 2012 onwards

Click here to pre-order the new Edition 38 charts and Olympic charts now!

Airbox customers who use Fastplan will also benefit from FREE flightplan filing during the period of the event. It is mandatory for all pilots wishing to transit or enter the restricted zones for the period of enforcement.

Interesting track logs from the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance’s EC135 based out of Henstridge over a recent two month period.

The aircraft benefits from two panel-mounted especially adapted Foresight GPS units working in tandem. The navigator’s unit can be programmed with a route independently of the pilot’s unit and then sent through to the pilot whilst he or she is flying the aircraft.

More info on the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance here.

Figure 1 - Albertville Airport Showing How Terrain Enhances Approaches

Representing anything on a chart is a complex weigh-up between making the feature sufficiently prominent, but yet not detracting from the more important features. This is very much a human issue, because it’s not just about the thickness of the lines or boldness on-screen. The way the colours you have chosen contrast with the colours of other features, for example, is very important. Sometimes colours that should stand out very well, don’t, because the colours behind them or nearby distract the eye from making the all-important instinctive differentiation.

The eye can pick out an enormous range of different colours, but to make a map really effective, it has to be able to do so without the conscious aid of the brain.

Terrain information is an important part of recreational aviation. Primarily, pilots use the information for (1) Avoiding being in breach of low flying regulations (2) Scoping out landing sites to assess not only the site itself, but also the approach and (3) The all important avoidance of what is known as CFIT or Controlled Flight Into Terrain, where, usually due to poor weather or planning, an aircraft unexpectedly strikes the ground, but where the controls and propulsion of the aircraft are working normally.

Three common ways are used to represent terrain on charts (1) Colouring of the chart where high terrain exists (2) Contour lines and (3) Hill shading

Hill shading is where an imaginary light source is shone over the area, and the map is then shaded as it would be if the sun were shining on the terrain from a particular angle; this means that slopes facing away from the imaginary sun are shaded as they would be in real life. This method does not show all of the contours, because slopes facing towards the sun do not get shaded, but the principle advantage is that it gives a very natural look to the chart which is extremely easy and fast for the eye to interpret. Airbox use Hill Shading for precisely this reason, because in the cockpit, that speed of recognition is a very high priority.

Figure 2 - 1:50k Chart Showing Terrain Both Shaded and Contoured - Useful For Helicopter Pilots

Once a shading source has been chosen, the next problem is how strongly to apply the technique. For example, on charts which cover Mount Everest, but also the Netherlands, it is important neither to over-acentuate one, nor to under-accentuate the other. The only way really to get this right is to test and retest the charts until a happy medium is established. With hill shading, not only can you play with the strength of the effect, but you can also change the height and angle of the imaginary sun. A low sun, for example, will give more shading, accentuating the effect, but it also gives long shadows, and will tend to give tiny hillocks shadows which make them look far more significant than they actually are.